SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 09: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants takes the ball from pitcher Ryan Vogelsong #32 taking him out of the game in the top of the seventh inning against the Washington Nationals at AT&T Park on June 9, 2014 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) less

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 09: Manager Bruce Bochy #15 of the San Francisco Giants takes the ball from pitcher Ryan Vogelsong #32 taking him out of the game in the top of the seventh inning against the ... more

Photo: Thearon W. Henderson, Getty Images

Nationals snap Giants' win streak at 5

1 / 2

Back to Gallery

The Nationals are not the Reds and they are not the Mets. They are one of baseball's hottest teams and maybe the best opponent the Giants have seen. With their health improving, the Nationals have charged into a first-place tie in the National League East.

On Monday night, the Nats charged into AT&T Park and ended the Giants' latest winning streak at five games by dealing San Francisco a rare rout - heck, a rare defeat of any type.

The Giants' 9-2 defeat was their worst beating of the season and only their second home loss since May 17.

Vogelsong has been so good since the end of April but did not have it against a lineup that is stacked even without the injured Bryce Harper.

The Nationals pounced for a 4-1 lead by the third inning and dented Vogelsong for six extra-base hits, tying his career worst. That included two doubles and a triple by leadoff hitter Denard Span.

Vogelsong was done two batters into the seventh inning and allowed six runs. George Kontos provided no relief as the Nationals added five runs. Ian Desmond drove in the last two with a double that gave him a career-high five RBIs.

More on the Giants

After repeatedly being asked to dissect his bad night, Vogelsong finally said, "I'm a perfectionist. I want to be perfect every time. But in this game, you're going to have nights like this, and that's what tonight was."

With a 9-1 lead, rookie manager Matt Williams pulled Strasburg after six innings to keep him fresh. Bruce Bochy countered an inning later by removing half his position players.

Strasburg allowed one run, on a Tyler Colvin double and Brandon Crawford single, and is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four starts against the Giants. The Nationals have won nine of their past 13 games against San Francisco and eight of their past 10 overall.

"They've been on a roll," Bochy said. "They played well in San Diego. They swung the bats well in a tough park to hit in. They came in here with confidence. Vogy was off. When you a find a team that's hitting well like that and get a pitcher who's leaving pitches up, they're going to take advantage of it."

Few conclusions can be drawn from one game like this, but Bochy provided an interesting insight by keeping the bullpen empty while Vogelsong was getting hammered for four runs in the first three innings. Span's game-opening double set the tone.

Bochy showed he is going to stick with his starters at this stage of the season unless he feels they are lost, which he apparently did not see with Vogelsong.

Bochy noted that Vogelsong settled in after spotting the Nationals their 4-1 lead in the third and carried that score into the seventh inning. Span's double and a Kevin Frandsen single finally forced a change.

Bochy said Vogelsong has been throwing "real well. He deserved a chance to win. If you go get your starters in the second and third innings, you're going to tear up your bullpen. He regrouped and did a good job."

Angel Pagan missed his second start with a bruised shin, but pinch hit and is expected to play Tuesday.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.